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The Deacon's Bench

On the anniversary of the day it was dedicated — the feast of the Queenship of Mary — Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine near Orlando became, officially, a basilica. From the Orlando Sentinel: It wasn’t a new gut-gripping ride that attracted the visitors and locals to Orlando’s tourist corridor Saturday. Rather, they flocked to…

From the always-amusing Jeanne Moos at CNN… Embedded video from CNN Video

Did the savior of the world have a sense of humor? We know Jesus wept. Did he laugh? “A Pharisee and a Saducee walk into a bar…” Well, give a listen to this thoughtful and entertaining interview with Fr. James Martin.

Wander over to the always-thoughtful Intentional Disciples blog for a fascinating dissection of why Merton’s “The Seven Storey Mountain” struck such a chord in the post-World War II era. His life’s journey had something powerful and provocative to say to a generation that had endured the prospect of nuclear annihilation and near-death. And, I think,…

When you’re on vacation, sometimes, you can’t completely get away from the world. Last week, I watched the news down in Florida, and saw the tragic pictures of that plane crashing into a helicopter over the Hudson. It was truly horrific. In the Wall Street Journal this past week, a priest who ministered to the…

Yesterday, I posted on the proposed changes in the mass text, and how they might affect the deacon. A couple days earlier, I’d also put up a story about the Bishop of Tulsa deciding to celebrate mass ad orientem. This prompted one commenter to write: The new liturgical rite for the Mass is being finalized.…

Since we are convinced, after long and serious reflection, that great good will accrue to the Church if this solidly established truth shines forth more clearly to all, like a luminous lamp raised aloft, by Our Apostolic authority We decree and establish the feast of Mary’s Queenship, which is to be celebrated every year in…

One of the leading critics of the alleged apparitions has given an interview that has appeared in several Serbian newspapers. In it, he puts the Medjugorge phenomenon in a cultural and political context — and describes the apparently differing opinions of Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul. You can read more and decide for yourself.

What many predicted would happen has, in fact, come to pass. From the New York Times: After an emotional debate over the authority of Scripture and the limits of biblical inclusiveness, leaders of the country’s largest Lutheran denomination voted Friday to allow gay men and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as members of the…

That’s one small, but significant, change in the new translation of the mass that will directly impact the deacon. You can find more at this helpful link, provided by the USCCB, with comparisons of the old version of the mass, and the new. It’s not clear when the new translation will take effect — there’s…
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